This article proposes that the task of providing useful information for deans and department heads has major implications for the role and preparation of college and university institutional researchers. Six areas for consideration are examined: local needs assessment, data integrity and interpretation, collaboration, skills and knowledge bases,…

The role of regional associations in providing professional development for institutional researchers is examined. On-campus and exchange internships for students, workshops for newly appointed researchers, visitation programs, reports, topical research sessions, and grant proposals are suggested as possible regional activities. (Author/SF)

The role of nonprofit marketing at higher education institutions is examined and its implications for institutional research are also discussed. It is suggested that the institutional researcher can assist with informed decision making during the enrollment and fiscal challenge of the l980s. (Author/SF)

The importance of an effective, comprehensive marketing effort by higher education institutions is discussed in light of anticipated enrollment declines. A new professionalism in market research and techniques is called for and it is suggested that an effective marketing effort will provide primary and secondary benefits that can serve as guides…

Three perspectives on the link between college faculty research and teaching effectiveness (null, conflict, and complementarily) are discussed, and empirical support for each is examined. Both null and complementarily perspectives receive modest affirmation, whereas the conflict perspective garners little support. (Author/MSE)

Institutional researchers' work to support analysis and decision making can be more valuable if they are trained in group dynamics and facilitation. By practicing these arts, institutional researchers can help college and university decision-makers make decisions that are grounded in the support of institutional constituents. The Step Ladder…

Institutional research is defined and general and specific objectives to be met in a graduate training program for institutional researchers are examined. Also discussed are institutional research courses, internships, and dissertations. (Author/SF)

Institutional researchers and student financial aid officers can collaborate to construct the longitudinal data files needed to study students persistence and recommend persistence policy. (Author/MSE)

Because of a fundamental shift in the way decisions are being made in colleges and universities, institutional researchers in the twenty-first century will no longer merely collect, analyze, and disseminate information to support decision making. They must also become information architects, change agents, and consultants of choice within their…

A study at a research university on the relationship between faculty research productivity, specific instructional practices, and faculty-student contact found that faculty with strong research profiles did not avoid teaching low-level undergraduate courses, rely on lecture over active learning techniques, or use multiple-choice tests more often…

Four themes appear consistently in discussions of college and university institutional research in the twenty-first century: accelerating change, need for information access, need for better comparative data, and the dilemma that occurs when institutional research offices are required to provide both policy analysis and technological competence.…

A study examined the relationship between faculty research productivity and the importance faculty attach to the undergraduate education goal of knowledge breadth and to faculty accessibility to students. Differences between "hard" and "soft" disciplines were also assessed. Results indicate that there is no correlation between productivity and…

A draft code of ethics for college and university institutional researchers and related activities, prepared by the Committee on Standards and Ethics of the Association for Institutional Research, is presented. It addresses issues of individual training and competence, responsibility, confidentiality, relationships within institution and…

The draft code of ethics prepared by the Committee on Standards and Ethics of the Association for Institutional Research is reviewed by section, with commentary on the precepts involved and the code's provisions for individual training and competence, responsibility, confidentiality, relationships within institution and community, and conduct…

Institutional researchers should know state and federal laws and attorneys general opinions applicable to higher education concerning open meetings and open records, and be prepared for information requests by media and concerned citizens. Case law is examined, and practical steps researchers can take are outlined, including knowing who will…